


Unlikely Meetings

by Shinyunderwater



Series: Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 06:58:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17782730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinyunderwater/pseuds/Shinyunderwater
Summary: These snippets are based off of my Tumblr followers sending me pairs of characters who never met in cannon and me writing how they could have. I really had to get creative with a few of these, but I think I managed to make them all semi-plausible. Also if anyone really wants a pair to be added to the series you can request so in the comments.





	1. Jackie & Najia

Najia was enjoying a soothing cup of tea after a long day at work. Her husband, hero that he was, had needed to pick up a few things for dinner and taken the girls with him, allowing Najia to bask in a few minutes of silence. Yaz had just turned seven and hit that stage where she wanted to be in charge of everything, especially her little sister. This resulted in a fair number of shouting matches that mostly consisted of the phrases "You're not the boss of me!" and "That's not how you're SUPPOSED to do it!" being bandied back and forth. Najia loved her girls, but sometimes they gave her a headache, so it was nice to savor the quiet-

A loud crash made Najia jolt. She jumped out of her chair and ran into the kitchen where a blond woman was standing next to their upended drying rack and a collection of shattered bits of glass and ceramic. "Who are you?! How did you get into our flat?!" Her heart was pounding, pumping adrenaline into her head.

"I'm so sorry. This dimension cannon thing is a real pain in the arse."

"What?! Nevermind, I'm calling the police."

"Wait!" The blonde woman held out her hand and wore a plaintive expression. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to jump into your flat, honest. I'm just looking for my daughter. The daft girl has gone chasing after that Doctor again."

"You're not making any sense." Yet for some reason Najia hesitated. She knew how it felt to worry about a daughter and be willing to go to any extreme to protect her. She felt an odd kinship with this strange, possibly mad woman.

"Look, I can't really explain. All I can say is my daughter got herself mixed up with a bloke that's nothing but trouble. Now she's gone chasing after him because she thinks he needs her, but doesn't she know I need her?!"

"I'm sorry," Najia said. "What's your name?"

"Jackie," the blond woman said. "My name is Jackie Tyler. You?"

Najia hesitated. This potential maniac had broken into her flat and could be a murderer for all Najia knew, but she couldn't shake the weird feeling of connectedness with her. "Najia Khan."

"It's nice to meet you Najia Khan. I'm really sorry about this. Do you have a broom, I can clean up the mess. My dimension hopper needs another thirty minutes to recharge anyway."

Najia chose not to focus on the lunacy of the second half of the woman's statement. She fetched her broom and gave it to the woman. "Thanks," Najia said even though the woman was just cleaning up her own mess and Najia would still have to replace all the broken dishes.

"I swear, my Rose lives for trouble, it's like she feeds off of it. We've got a nice life in Pete's World. We've got a big house. Plenty of money. Not that money's everything, but it's nice, you know? And I've just had the baby. My little Tony is a dream. He adores his big sister. Shows it by spitting up on her mostly, but that's not the point. She's got us. She's got Mickey. Poor bloke, his Nan passed away last month. I wouldn't mind having him for a son-in-law, but Rose she's fixated on this Doctor."

Najia wasn't sure how to respond to such a nonsensical collection of phrases, but she gave it her best shot. "A doctor though. Could be worse."

Jackie scoffed. "He's not REALLY a Doctor. Do you have a daughter?"

"Two," Najia answered without thinking, and then admonished herself for revealing still more personal information.

"If either of them ever comes home with a funny looking guy with a weird screwdriver and a big blue box you send him packing, do you hear me? Don't let your girl out of your sight till he's good and gone, you got it?!"

"Alright," Najia said, a bit fearful of the woman's passion. Jackie dumbed the broken crockery into the bin. "I hope you find your daughter, and that she's safe."

Jackie gave her a warm smile. "Me too. Thanks for being so understanding." She pulled a strange device out of her pocket. "I've gotta run. Good luck with your girls Najia Khan, and remember what I said. No odd blokes with blue boxes!" Then Jackie vanished.

Najia's jaw dropped. She stepped forward and rubbed her eyes. If not for the glass in the bin she might have thought she'd imagined the whole thing. The front door opened and then slammed shut. "Mum! Yaz is bein bossy!"

"She won't listen to me Mum," Yaz yelled in response.

Najia sighed. She had more important things to worry about. That Jackie Tyler whoever she was would have to look out for herself.


	2. Nine & Donna

Donna walked outside and closed the door perhaps a bit harder than necessary, but she didn't slam it, despite what her mother might be yelling after her. She looked up and down the street. It was a few minutes before Donna had told the Doctor to arrive to pick her up, so he might not be there yet, but... There. She rolled her eyes and gave an annoyed huff. Why the bloody hell would he park all the way at the other end of the street? Did he think it was funny to make her walk that far? Well she was going to give that skinny little Time Lord a piece of her mind. She unlocked the door and threw it open. "Oi! This your idea of a prank?"

A man squatting behind the control console fiddling with something shot up up and gawked at her. Donna felt a chill run through her. She didn't recognize the man, and the Doctor wouldn't let just anybody onto his TARDIS. He certainly wouldn't let some stranger tinker with it. "Who are you," he asked. "How did you get into my TARDIS?"

"YOUR TARDIS?! This is the Doctor's TARDIS buddy and you had better have a good reason for being in here!"

He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her an amused look. "Okay, what's this then? A scam? An invasion?" He pulled out something that looked similar to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, but not quite identical. He pointed at her.

"You keep your devices to yourself pervert, you hear me?! I won't have you trying to see through my clothes!"

He rolled his eyes as he checked the Sonic. "This says you're human."

"Because I am human you idiot! You'll find several of us on Planet Earth actually. We sort of run the joint."

"Oh I know you lot like to think so," he said with an amused grin.

"Out with it then! What sort of alien are you? Here to conquer the human race? Because that's real cliche. The Doctor is going to show up any second and throw you off his ship. And if you've done something to him I know people at UNIT that I can call here at the drop of a hat to apprehend you!" Despite her brave front she was starting to worry this man HAD done something to the Doctor. She hoped it was something that could be reversed once she found and rescued him.

"Listen, Miss, if I were some sort of powerful alien strong enough to break into my TARDIS and do away with-"

"It's NOT your TARDIS! I don't know what you did to the Doctor buddy, but you made a serious mistake messing with him! The Doctor has friends! Do you understand me?! He's got lots of friends that would do almost anything to protect him! So if you value your hide I suggest you tell me where you stashed him!"

The intruder's jovial manner faded into a grim stoney expression. "See now I know you're lying, because I don't have any friends, not anymore."

"Probably because you're the sort of prat that breaks into other people's ships and starts trying to hijack the controls. You won't get it to work by the way. The Doctor is a genius, and he has all sorts of security protocols to prevent someone highjacking his ship."

"When did I start doing that?"

Donna scowled. She'd had enough of this invader. "I'm calling Dr. Martha Jones at UNIT. She'll be here with a whole platoon soon. So if you want me to tell her to go easy on you I suggest you tell me what you've done with the Doctor." She held up the phone like it was a knife, making her threat clear.

The intruder grinned, but it was a cold humorless smile. "If I were what you think I am, someone capable of overpowering the Doctor, would it really be such a good idea to threaten me?"

She felt a chill overcome her. "So are you going to kill me," she asked.

He looked shocked by the suggestion. "Kill you? Why would I want to kill you? What's your name?"

Donna just glared at him. "Okay, I'll go first. Hello, I'm the Doctor." He stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

She scoffed. "I know what the Doctor looks like you moron."

"Don't be so sure. I've worn many faces. I think you might be looking for a different Doctor, in a different TARDIS. Why don't you try peaking outside, see if you can spot one?"

She rolled her eyes. "You are loony, do you realize th-" The last syllable died on her tongue as she peeked outside and saw the TARDIS parked right in front of her house, with the Doctor leaned against the side reading a book. "But- How- What-" She spun around to face the intruder. He was smiling at her again. This time it felt a bit more real. "Doctor?"

"Hello."

"Huh. But... So you're a future- No you'd have recognized me- past- No you'd have known me already when we first met. I don't-"

"Causality can be confusing. I'll probably forget about you between now and when I next meet you."

"Oh I'm not forgetable pal."

He laughed. "I believe you. But if I'm supposed to meet you here I might be starting to get worried. So off you trot."

Donna didn't take kindly to such a casual dismissal. But she got the sense she shouldn't linger much longer. The Doctor might come looking for her, and who knew what might arise from him meeting his past self. "Fine. Bye." She started to leave.

"Wait."

She paused and turned around. "What," she snapped.

"Was that true? That thing you said about me having friends that would do almost anything for me, was that true?" For a moment the cynical facade dropped, and this Doctor looked so vulnerable. She pitied him. This lonely man dressed in black, hiding away from the world, from the knowledge of his own isolation. "Several of them, and they love you to bits."

He started to smile. "Even you?"

"Even me you great daft loon. Now off with you. We can't have you meeting yourself." She left the TARDIS and headed for, well, the same TARDIS, but just up the road. She snatched his book out of the Doctor's hand on her way inside just to show him who was boss.

"Donna Noble you like me," he teased with a big much too pleased with himself grin as he followed her inside.

"So you did remember?"

"Implanted a temporary memory block, just expired. You liiiiike me."

"Oh shut up. Let's get out of here." She tried to hold in her smile, but after a valient struggle she gave in. She supposed she did like him a bit.


	3. Nine & Martha

The Doctor sighed in frustration as he sat in his prison cell. Well maybe prison cell was a harsh term. It was more like a waiting room with a locked door. There were even boring magazines on the table, which put the year at 2065, though who knew how long those had been sitting there unread. He could escape whenever he needed, but first he wanted a good look at this agency's operations, to see what they were doing to the aliens they apprehended. If it was experimentation or something equally horrible he'd have to shut them down. The door opened and a cheery woman poked her head through. "The doctor will see you now sir," she told him.

"I don't need a doctor, I am the Doctor," he said with an annoyed huff, crossing his arms over his leather jacket.

"Of course sir. But Dr. Smith-Jones is in charge of processing today. She just needs to chat with you a bit. Will only take a mo. If you'd follow me?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but he followed the far too cheerful woman to an office where an elderly woman with dark skin was seated behind a desk. She had a very warm smile, and gestured for him to sit in the comfortable chair across from her. He took his seat while the cheerful woman departed. "Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Smith-Jones. It's a pleasure to meet you." She stuck out her hand for him to shake.

He shook her hand. "I'm the Doctor."

That seemed to startle her. "What?"

"I'm the Doctor. That's my name."

She stared at him for a moment, but then she recovered herself. "And what are your affiliations? Are you a member of a species with formal refugee status?"

"I doubt that," the Doctor said.

The woman opened a drawer and pulled out a stethoscope. "I'm just going to check your cardiac function."

"What do you need to do that for?"

Instead of answering Dr. Smith-Jones stood up and walked over to him, placing her instrument against his chest. She listened to his first heart and then moved the stethoscope over to listen to his second. She returned to her seat, chuckling and shaking her head. "Honestly, if you wanted to stop by for a visit all you had to do was call. I would have cleared some time in my schedule for you," she admonished him.

He stared at her. "What are you talking about," he demand. "Do I know you?"

The smile dimmed, but didn't disappear altogether. "I guess you don't yet."

"But you know me?"

"Oh very well," she said. "So where are you in the timeline then?"

"Are you an enemy of mine? Is this some sort of plot for revenge? Are you going to take me into a lab and slice me up?"

She frowned. "So the cynical version. That narrows it down, but not enough." She adjusted her glasses and leaned forward. "Ears are a bit big, but not huge. I would have expected dinner plates by the way you went on about them."

"Oi!" The Doctor's hand shot up to his ear.

She chuckled again. "Oh and the Northern accent! So you're definitely him then. You're the version that comes right before my Doctor. Well it's nice to meet you, put yet another face to the name as it were," she said. "How've you been?"

He glared at her. This woman seemed to know him, to not just know him but know him quite well. She was talking to him like they were old friends, but that was impossible. He'd been alone since the time war and knew he would be until the end of his lives. It was what he deserved. "Who are you?"

Dr. Smith-Jones picked up her nameplate and pointed to her name. "I'm Dr. Smith-Jones," she said. "You don't need to be so suspicious Doctor."

"I'll be the judge of how suspicious I need to be," the Doctor snapped.

She put her hands up in a mocking surrender. "Alright, you do your thing."

"What's your first name?"

The other doctor shook her head. "I shouldn't say. Timelines and all that. But you know a lot of Smiths, so that part should be fine." There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye that made the Doctor want to smile, but he restrained himself.

"How do we know each other?"

"How do you make all your friends Doctor? Traveling. It always comes down to traveling. You go mad when you try to sit still." She wore a fond smile, as though remembering years long passed.

The Doctor stared at her, trying to summon memories he hadn't made yet. He wanted to know how he knew her. He couldn't believe she was really his friend, but he wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe that a kind woman with a warm smile could think of him with nastolgia. That was a much better legacy than the genocide he'd just committed. He shook his head. That was why it was impossible. There was no way a sweet and affable person like this doctor could be a friend of his. He was a murderer. How could she be? He watched as her smile started to fade. "What," he snarled with more harshness than intended.

"I think I understand. It's the time war isn't it? You're not far past it are you?"

That threw him. "What do you know about the time war," he asked.

"Only what you told me, and that it wasn't your fault. You did everything you could to-"

"I killed my people!" His hands were clenched into fists and he was panting with frustration. "I destroyed-!"

There was the click of an intercom speaker and then: "Everything alright doctor? The volume sensors just went off. Need us to send in security?"

Dr. Smith-Jones pressed a button on her desk. "No, we're fine. Thanks though."

The Doctor looked down in shame. "It was my fault. If I told you it wasn't I lied."

"You saved us. All of us 'lower beings' that your high council would have had no problem with becoming casualties of your conflict. You saved us from that fate. You sacrificed so much for us."

His head snapped up. "Who are you," he asked again. "What are you to me?"

She gazed at him with dark eyes that were wells of compassion. "I am your friend Doctor, and you should get back to the TARDIS. Go out into the universe and make some friends. Don't worry, you'll be seeing me."

He smiled at her. "Thank you," he whispered.

She shooed him away. "Out with you. Come back and see me when you're older." She beamed at him. "Be fantastic Doctor, because that's what you are."


	4. Missy & Thirteen

The Doctor knew she must be mad to do what she was doing. This sort of interference with her personal timeline was a blatant violation of all her rules. Which was of course why she had to do it. She walked past the lecture hall where she heard her former Scottish brogue lecturing about the painting skills of famous generals. She shook her head at herself. She made her way down into the depths. She stepped up to the door of the vault. "Missy," she whispered.

No reply.

"Missy," she said a bit louder.

"I heard you the first time."

The Doctor hesitated. "Can I come in," she asked.

"It's hardly up to me, is it? Does my jailer know you're here?"

The Doctor considered this. "He will."

"Ooh, that's ominous. I love a good bit of ominous. Come in then if you must."

The Doctor input the remembered code and stepped into the vault. Missy was lounging on a couch. She turned her head and did a double take. "My! Doctor! What HAVE you done to yourself?"

"I..." There was so much she wanted to say, but she found herself unable to summon the words. "I wanted to see you."

"So you doubled back on your own timeline? Naughty Doctor. That was very, very naughty of you." She leaned forward with a big grin. "I'm so proud of you."

The Doctor sighed. "Well maybe you rubbed off on me more than I rubbed off on you," she suggested.

"I should hope so," Missy replied.

"How... are you?" The Doctor cringed at her own awkwardness.

"Well how is anybody these days my love? But you really ought to know the answer to that question. And seeing as how you're from a future where I'm no longer your prisoner I suppose I know it too. I've either grown bored of this imprisonment and escaped to cut a bloody swath across the universe or I'm dead," Missy theorized.

"Or maybe you redeemed yourself and I let you go," the Doctor suggested.

Missy laughed. "If that is what happened Doctor than I assure you it was a trick. My future self is massacring galaxies as we speak. Ah, a lovely thought."

The Doctor stood there. She wanted to argue, to push back against Missy's claim, but for all she knew Missy was right. She had gone with herself after all and abandoned her and Bill to their fate. The Doctor felt despair sink into her bones. She regretted coming.

"Oh do stop pouting. Come on! Sit down. Get a loud off. Tell me about your day."

The Doctor was thrown. "After what you just said you want me to sit down and make small talk with you?"

"Yes. It will be great practice for when I'm deceiving past you about my true intentions. Now which face do you think encapsulates guilt better? This one," Missy put on a dramatic forlorn expression. "Or this one?" She upped the drama and pressed her hands against the sides of her face. "Too much?"

The Doctor chuckled and shook her head. "You can't fool me Missy."

"Doctor I've been fooling you for centuries," Missy taunted.

"I know what you're doing."

"Yes, because I just told you. I'm practicing for my eventual escape."

"You think you're dead," the Doctor whispered. "You think you died and I came here because I'm grieving for you, so you're pretending to be wicked to spare me the pain of mourning you."

"Yes!" Missy snapped her fingers. "That's brilliant! I've secretly always been good and was just pretending to be bad to spare your feelings! But are you stupid enough to fall for it? What am I saying, you're stupid enough to fall for anything."

The Doctor laughed again, a soft sad laugh. She went over to Missy and sat down next to her. "It's good to see you."

"Of course it is," Missy said. "I'm delightful. Everybody knows that."


	5. Martha & Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Grace lives in Sheffield, but she took the train into London to see a show or something.

Tish kept talking, but Martha wasn't paying attention. Now that the hospital was back on Earth and all of the aliens were gone (even the one she wouldn't have minded staying) her adrenaline levels were falling. She was beginning to feel the effects of oxygen deprivation. She was tired and dizzy. She wondered if she could just take a nap. "Martha? Martha! Can somebody take a look at my sister please?!"

"Excuse me. I'm a nurse, can I help?" Martha blinked and looked up to see a woman with a broad smile and a warm demeanor. The warm woman put a reassuring hand on Tish's shoulder. "Is it alright if I examine your sister?"

Tish nodded. "Please do."

The large smile was now pointed at Martha. "Hello, I'm Grace. What's your name?"

Martha thought. It was on the tip of her tongue. "Martha, Martha Jones."

"Martha, that's a beautiful name. Do you know your birthday Martha?"

"It's..." Martha's head hurt. "I want to take a nap," she said. "I'm so tired."

"Can I look at your eyes Martha?"

Martha let the woman tilt her face upward and examine her eyes. "Excuse me," the woman hailed a passing paramedic. "This woman is suffering from delayed hypoxia. She needs oxygen."

"Yeah, a lot of people do lady, get in line," the man said with an annoyed huff.

Grace followed him as he made to leave. "So she's not important," Martha heard Grace ask through the fuzz in her brain.

"Look, almost everyone we took out of that hospital is showing symptoms of oxygen deprivation. We're focusing on the patients first. The staff have to wait."

The man left without giving Grace time to get another word in. Grace scowled after him, but returned to Martha, who was starting to nod off. Grace began to slip her white coat off her shoulders. "What are you doing," Martha asked.

"You need oxygen right now, and I'm going to make sure you get it. I'll be right back." Grace turned to Tish. "Keep asking her questions. Dates, names, simple math, stuff like that."

Tish nodded and then turned to Martha to begin quizzing her. Martha just wanted to rest, but she did her best to answer her sister, even though facts kept sliding out of her head. Soon Grace returned with a firefighter who had a tank of oxygen with him. Grace put the mask over Martha's face and instructed her to breath deep. Martha followed all of Grace's commands, and soon she began to feel hear headache abate and her mind clear. She took the mask off and Grace turned off the flow of the precious oxygen. "I'm alright now," Martha said. "I'm okay."

Grace nodded at the firefighter who took the oxygen away. Grace looked into Martha's eyes. "Are you sure you're feeling better love," she asked.

"I'm sure. I just... It was a lot."

"I can imagine. What happened in there?"

Martha looked up at the sky. "We were on the moon," she marveled. "It was beautiful. It was terrifying... But still so beautiful."

"What," Tish asked. "Martha what are you talking about?"

"Sounds lovely," Grace said in a soothing voice. "I suppose that explains the oxygen deprivation. There wouldn't be much of that on the moon."

Martha smiled at Grace. "No. Just what we brought with us. And the aliens, they were looking for the fugitive." Martha held up her hand with the x drawn on it. "They scanned each of us to see if we were human or not." She looked at Grace's open compassionate expression. "You think I'm mad, don't you?" Martha wasn't entirely sure that she didn't think herself mad.

"No, I don't. I've no idea what's out there. If you say you saw aliens, then I believe you child." She put a reassuring hand on Martha's shoulder. "I'm just glad you're safe love."

"Thank you for sticking up for me," Martha said. "You didn't have to."

"Of course I did. We all have to look out for each other. You be well Martha Jones. Get some rest. Don't go getting into anymore trouble, yes?"

Martha nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Grace gave her a brilliant smile, as powerful as the sun. "I'm going to go see if anyone else needs help. Remember, just rest."

Martha watched her go as Tish began bombarding her with questions and asking if they should reschedule Leo's party. Martha listened with one ear. What an amazing woman that Grace had been. She reminded herself to always be that kind to strangers and stick up for those in need. She wanted to emulate such an inspectional woman.


End file.
